Why now?
by Yeah-um-no
Summary: The final instalment to my Why? series. Emily is fighting for her life on Asgard, Loki is scared shitless of loosing her, and Thanos is preparing for one last blow that is sure will wipe out Asgard and leave him in charge of the cosmos.
1. Chapter 1

Frigga had been sat with her husband, talking about the larger crops this summer, the gossips of the court and other such inconsequential small talk when the news had come.  
There was war on Midgard once more.

The Chitauri had returned and they wanted to conquer the realm, this time with renewed vigour. The last battle had not been all that lengthy though it had wrought enough damage and cost the mortals many lives. The results of the previous invasion had been decided by pure accident when the metal man had flown through the portal and destroyed the Chitauri's mother ship.

That was not guarantied outcome this time around. The alien army would have more knowledge of the mortals and would perhaps have found various advantages they could potentially use to make the battle a sure win.

Last time Frigga had worried that one of her sons was too far gone to save, this time she was worried that they both may need saving.

Dread started to fill her heart as she thought about the possibility that perhaps Loki had once again called the army. The thought that Loki may have tricked them all into thinking he had reformed, that he had changed, and yet the minute they let him of their sights and back onto Midgard he attacked once more.

It seemed Odin had had the same thought.  
"What news of our sons?" He asked, voice impassive as though he was asking about the weather, Frigga however knew Odin very well and could tell that he was in fact worried.  
"Thor and Loki fight alongside the Avengers and Midgard's armies. It appears as though they were pre-warned and have had time for a few preparations." Came the answer of the soldier Heimdall had sent with the news.

The royal couple were somewhat reassured, but they were none the wiser of the outcome of the battle, nor did they have any further knowledge of the happenings on Midgard. Frigga implored her husband, almost begged him to ready his armies and send help to the Midgardians but to no avail. The time it would take to ready the armies and get them to the Bifrost the battle would have already been won. And besides, the Bifrost was not yet repaired enough to send large groups through, what used would an army be if they could only arrive two by two?

Frigga began fiddling with the hemming of her dress as she was made to wait for more news of her boys.

It came as quite a surprise, to both her and her husband, when a bright blue light engulfed the throne room, only to blink out a second later revealing battle worn and tired warriors.

She could discern who was who from her sons' descriptions, the Man of Iron being the most obvious, the second most obvious would be Black Widow, being the sole woman, then there was the archer, said to have the eyes of a hawk, the man in the red white and blue skin-tight suit she assumed was the Captain, the last of them being the man who turned beast.

And last but not least, her two sons.

And another?

In Loki's arms lay a still figure, it appeared to be another woman with grave injuries. The bloodstains that covered her clothes had began to drip the sticky red substance onto the golden floor of the throne room. Her body looked relaxed, however it was clear that she was not asleep, the large gash that went down her front showed her to be badly injured.

But strangely enough it was not any of that that caught the queen's attention. Instead it was drawn to her second son's anguished face, twisted in pain as though he was the one who lay near death and bleeding out on the floor.

"Please, help." Came his broken and pleading voice.

At hearing those two pitiful words the queen snapped out of her stupor and wasted no time. Jumping from her seat she began to bark orders at the servants nearby, telling them to run ahead and prepare the healing rooms. Alert their best healers, have everything ready.

A solider was beckoned forward and he took the body of the girl and carried her to where the healers would be waiting. All of the Avengers made to follow after them, they would surely need attention themselves but they paid their own injuries no mind as they followed their fallen comrade.

Loki alone stayed where he was. He seemed transfixed, no, paralysed. His eyes were staring but unseeing, his chest rose and fell in deep staggering breaths as though he was struggling to get the air into his lungs, he remained on his knees seemingly too weak to stand.

Frigga remembered when her son had first come crying to her because of bullies, taunting him and saying his sedir was cowardly. She had not been able to stop the hateful whispers.

She remembered when Loki had first had his heart broken by a girl, she was a foreign dignitary's daughter who had not returned his affections, and after she and her father had gone back home she had never returned again. She had not been able to stop the hurt nor heal the heartbreak.

She remembered when her son had come to her, lost and afraid after learning of his true heritage. Loki had thought himself unworthy and unloved. He had thought himself not enough. Frigga remembered how she felt when the news came that Loki had let go, fallen into the void. She had not been able to save him.

Frigga remembered the times when her child had come to her in need. When he had sought her out because he could not understand or could not fix his own problems without her help. She remembered these times and she remembered the times when she too could not help, when she had not had the right answer or the solution. When she had had to watch her son go on in pain and sometimes in tears because she had failed to make everything alright the way a mother was supposed to.

Frigga looked at her son as he knelt, broken and alone, tears pouring down his cheeks as his shield brothers went to the bedside of their injured and she made a silent promise to herself and to her son.

No matter what it took, no matter how long or hard it would be, Frigga vowed to not fail her son in this. That woman would be healed and she would see a smile on Loki's face once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Thor had been proud of the way his mother had immediately taken control of the situation. She had not hesitated to help his friend and for that he was thankful. Frigga was a kind sole and not one to deny anyone in need the help they required, wether they be criminal or not. She firmly believe that no one was past redemption.

It had been a surprise to him at first. Loki having demanded he break the sole weapon they had that would supposedly kill the Mad Titan had made him hesitant, it was clear that Loki cared for the mortal who had been his guard, he had feared perhaps that his judgment was impaired slightly by that fact. However he had seen the desperation in the sorcerer's eyes, it was that which had made up his mind upon the subject.

The sceptre was now in pieces, since the magic imbibed gem had been shattered by Mjolnir all that remained was a fairly pretty engraved shaft of metal that possessed no special powers or abilities whatsoever.

Thor was currently running after the soldier carrying Emily though the familiar halls and passageways to palace's healing chambers. He had seen those rooms a thousand times over and knew the women who worked there very well. They were the finest in all of Asgard and it had been smart thinking of Loki to take them here, if anyone could save Emily, the healers of Asgard could.

She was a valiant warrior, strong willed and very skilled in her swordsmanship, if she did not survive he had not doubt that she would definitely have earned herself a place in Valhalla. If she survived, well then, Thor would treat her like she was already there.

He had seen how Thanos had planned to attack his brother, they all knew it was very risky for Loki should the Titan choose to show as he believed that he had some personal vendetta with Loki. Thor had been too far to help but close enough to see that had the mortal not intercepted the fight when she had, Loki would not be alive. She had taken that sword for him, suffered the injury in his place.

It had also been enough to cause a distraction that meant they could send the bombs through the portal and defeat the Chitauri once more. She was a true hero, both in Midgard and he would see to it that her name be remembered in Asgard as well.

They had reached the rooms now, and he and his fellow Avengers watched as she was placed on a bed and numerous healers began to study the wound and clear some if the blood. The smell had begun to clog up their nostrils, making them all feel ill. Unfortunately that was all they were able to see.

One of the head healers came to usher them out of the room, closing the door behind her and blocking their view.

"Are any of you gravely hurt or in need of attention?" She asked as calmly as she could in all the hurry and panic.  
All the Avengers replied the negative, they were fine, their injuries were unimportant. That was the wrong answer if they had wanted to stay, however and she told them that they should go and have a bath, wash off the smell of sweat and the grime that they were covered in. It would help them relax and take their minds off of things as the healers did their best to help their friend.

When none of them showed any signs of enthusiasm for the recommended baths and not one of them made a move she called over a few guards who escorted them on their way. No one one was looking forward to the next few hours.

The Lady Widow was allowed to change and get in first, seeing as the baths were communal and it was common courtesy. Yet Thor believed they all held a slight unwillingness to bathe for different reasons. Should Emily's situation change they would all want to be there. He had seen they way Midgardian hospitals were, family and friends would wait by the bedside or in one of their 'waiting rooms' close by should anything happen.

The healer been right, they did all need a good wash everyone got in to the large, swimming pool sized bath. The hot water helped them to relax their muscles and perhaps let their minds wonder a little.

It was then that Thor realised Loki was not with them. In fact he had not seen his brother follow them to the healing rooms either.

How strange.

Thor tried to let his mind wonder, however it always seemed to come back to two things.

Emily and Loki.

He thought about when they first met in SHIELD headquarters, about when the mortal woman had decided to engage in some kind of drinking game with him. When SHIELD been attacked and the two of them had begun to fight together, solidifying their friendship.

Thor thought about his brothers face when she had fallen. That was not the look of a grieving friend. There was something he was missing here. His mind went over and over remembering all the times he had seen her face. At SHIELD, in Stark Towers, on the battlefield, in that gymnasium.

Wait. No.

I couldn't have been.

Could it?

Thor hadn't realised, too lost in his thoughts, that he had abruptly stood up and drawn the attention of the other Avengers.

Thor wracked his brain and he could come up with another answer. When Loki had escaped to earth he had been traveling around with a Midgardian woman, he had seen her both in the forest when Loki had lost his temper and turned Jötunn and when he had tracked them to the earthen equivalent of training grounds.

It had been her all along. The woman who had traveled with Loki. Could that be the reason for Loki's despair? Was he more involved with the Agent than he had originally suspected?

"THOR?!"

He was broken out of his thoughts at the cry of his name.

"What is it? You've been standing there looking like a lost puppy for the last two minutes." Steve Rogers asked him.  
"I'm sorry, my friends. I must speak with Loki immediately." With that he simply marched up the golden stairs taking them two by two, and left the baths behind him, wearing nothing but the towel he had grabbed on his way out to conceal his nakedness.

* * *

**Ok, so apparently there are still some people reading this so, woohoo! And thank you guys so much for sticking with me, I can't tell you how great it felt when I had all those favourite/follow/review emails. Your continued support is mind blowing! **

**So, anyway Thor finally clues into what's been going on, I know a little late but hey, he had other things on his mind like saving the world from Thanos and everything. **

**Ps. If you haven't read the first two instalments in the series that fine but it might make things slightly confusing, just a heads up. **

**Thanks again you guys for being so lovely ;) **


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